For efficient in-ground pool construction, property access is essential. That’s because heavy equipment, such as excavators, dump trucks, and gunite or shotcrete rigs, must enter the backyard. Adjacent homes, fences, trees, or hardscape may be in the way. Narrow side yards—such as those with a protruding gas meter or air conditioning unit—can also limit access. Other kinds of obstacles may exist.

In these cases, pool builders can usually find a solution. They range from fence removal and restoration to use of smaller excavation equipment.

Most often, the answer is yes. Because a gunite pool provides maximum design versatility, the chances are good that a builder can configure your pool’s size and shape to fit within tight dimensions.

Keep in mind that property setbacks, building codes, minimum deck requirements, and other backyard conditions can limit the ultimate square footage that can go to the pool. You also will want to have room for a pool deck.

Experienced pool builders can develop clever—often surprising—design solutions for making the most of available real estate.

Depending on the backyard configuration, you will likely need a rough minimum of 500 square feet for an in-ground pool.

However, the final minimum number will vary with the shape of the property. That’s because gunite pools allow builders to develop shrewd designs to maximize use of available space. Enormous versatility for pool size and shape is possible. A builder may even configure a pool that will use space from both your backyard and side yard.

Other factors may enter the equation and influence how much backyard space you can use and where the pool may be positioned. One is building codes, which vary by city. For example, most codes require pools to be 3 to 5 feet away from the house and the property line.

Keep in mind, you will need some area around the pool for decking. You may want to include other backyard features as well. Your builder will advise you of other considerations—as well as opportunities—for space-saving design solutions.